Process of producing road-surfacing material.



.U1IITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE noes, or muses crn mssom PROCESS OF PRODUGDG'G BOAlD-S'UBFAGING MATERIAL.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE Ross, a citizen of the United States, residing at' Kansas City, in the countyof Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usedescri ed and claimed.

In the roduction of the materiaL'earthy material 1s combined with water, asphalt or other bitumen and a solvent for dissolving the abphalt or the like and crushed rock, gravel or sand.

In carrying out the process, theearthy material which may be collected from or near the road to be surfaced, is broken up or comminuted in any suitable manner and mixed with a sufficient quantity of water tomake a thin mud, the'mixing being done in an excavation or hole-in the ground or in a tank.

Hot li uefiedbitumen or the like is then thorough y mixed with the mud, pulverizedv bitumen being. used in preference to the liquefied bitumen if the bitumen is 'to be transported any great distance by slow traflic, as when the pulverized bitumen is used noheating for the same is required.

A solvent, such as dead oil, creosol, crude carbolicacid or other asphalt solvent, is

added in sufiicient quantities to dissolve'the bitumen.

The bitumen bein thoroughly dissolved by the solvent, then ecomes thoroughly inco orated with the earthy material.

he mixing may be performed in any suitable manner bymeans of machinery or by manual power like mortar. I

r not esire to restri t-my The earthy material may be loam, soil or clay, but a highly ,colloidal deflocculated clay is prefera le if the-bestpossible surfacing material is desired. a p r p The following proportions of the" ingredients ives most satis actor results, but I do f-to such propor- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 21 tions as difi'erences in the earthy material or in the bitumen may make it advisable to change the relative proportion of the ingredients.

Earthy material 100 parts. Water by weight 35% of the total weight of the earthy material. Bitumen by weight 20% of the total weight of the earthy material. Solvent 5% by weight of the wei ht of the bitumen. The function of the so vent is to obtain a perfect saturation of the bitumen or asphalt in; the earthy material without the use of heat, it being obvious that a great economy is effected where it ispossible to effect a thorough saturation of the bitumen or the like in earthy material, without heating the mixture, or any of the "ingredients thereof 1 as the heating operation involves the-use o expensive machinery, fuel and labor.

In this process the solvent is held in the mud by surface tension while the bitumen is held in suspension in very fine particles until the evaporation ofthe water occurs. At this point the solvent dissolves the bitumen and the saturation of the latter in the earthy material begins and continues until the solvent has evaported, leaving a very perfectly bituminated or bitumini'zed material, which being thoroughly and uniformly saturated with the bitumen, is tough, plastic malleable and water proof, the mixture'of earthy material and bitumen giving this result. The crushed rock, gravel or sand imparts rigidly to the wearing surface.

During the process of mak ng road s urfacing material with a hot liquefied bltumen, the contact of the latter with the cold mud after the solvent has been added causes the former to foam and during the mixin rocess the thin films of bitumen produc y the foaming ction thereof are broken up lot The material may be deposited upon the; road immediately or without deterioration,

may be kept for many months in tanks 'or cisterns frolnwhich evaporization of moisture cannot takeplace.

From the foregoing it 'will be a parent thatI have evolved a recess of .pro ucin'g a very durable road sur acing material, at low cost, and it will be obvious that due to the factthat the material can be quickly repaired and laid by hand, a road can be main-j I 'tained in perfect condition at a expense, and it will be understood that while this surfacing material is designed chiefly for country roads, it may be used for surfacing city streets with s lendid results. If desired the mixture 0 bitumen with mud, may be spread on the road to be surfaced and the solvent sprayed or sprinkled on the material after substantially all of the water has evaporated therefrom. In dry warm weather the solvent will penetrate the entire mass in a few hours and within a day or so the road can be opened to traffic.

I claim:

1. The method of roducing a surfacing material for roads and the like, consisting in mixing earthy material with water to produce a thin mud, then adding bitumen and a solvent for the latter, the entire mass being agitated to effect uniform distribution of the bitumen in the mud.

2. The method of producing a surfacing material forroads and the like, consisting in mixing earthy material with water to produce a thin mud, then adding bitumen and a solvent for the latter, the entire mass being agitated to effect uniform distribution of the bitumen in the mud, and mixing the thin mass with crushed rock, gravel or sand.

3. The method of producing a surfacing material for roads and the like, consisting in m1xing earthy material with water to pro duce a thin mud, then adding bitumen and a solvent for the latter, the entire mass being agitated to efl'ect uniform distribution of the bitumen in the mud, mixing the thin mass with crushed rock, gravel or sand, and then compacting the mixture on a roadway.

4. The method of producin a surfacing material for roads nd the li e, consisting in mixing earth material with water to produce a thin mu then adding bitumen to the mud and mixing it therewith, then spreading the mixture on the road and finallyv depositing a solvent for bitumen, on the surfacing material after the same has become substantially dry.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' GEORGE ROSS. 

